by Rugby Director Mark McCall said: “We missed a lot today but we are grateful for the win. This competition is uncompromising and you cannot afford to lose your first game.”
Edinburgh ran early and showed that they didn’t make the long, cold ride just to make up for the numbers.
Prop Luan de Bruin strengthened to try at close range after a decisive attack from Edinburgh’s own court. Emilliano Boffelli returned only for Sarries to respond with Farrell’s midfield kick and was picked up by fullback Elliot Daly, who shrugged a fight and ran for the home team’s opening try. Farrell made a turn but then sent a 40-metre kick in front of the target’s wide posts.
Boffelli sent a long-range opportunity when Maro itoje was penalized for a high interception at the back. Moments later, Sarries repeated the action more closely, before finally finding the offensive lanes and managing to penetrate the solid Edinburgh defense for once. This came from a quick burst of speed and power from Ben Earl, who was unstoppable as he started pumping his legs as he crossed the line for a try. Farrell’s shot returned to the post, but Boffelli had the final word of the first half with the third penalty.
Daly turned the tryout provider just five minutes into the second half. His perfectly directed and weighted shot behind the Edinburgh defense bounced off invitingly for Alex Lewington and the wing jumped to put Sarries ahead for the first time.
Another Boffelli penalty put visitors ahead, while Farrell found range with a penalty after Edinburgh was penalized for crashing an attack. Another penalty put Sarries up four points in the final 20 minutes. A frenzied action spell caused Damian Hoyland to attempt an almost spectacular escape when he caught Farrell’s pass. However, Farrell corrected the situation himself with a rescue attempt to block James Lang in the corner.
Reserve hooker Tom Woolstencroft pushed for a bonus points attempt, while Edinburgh lost hooker Stuart McInally to a yellow card for an offense in the backlog at the same time.
But they couldn’t stop them from scoring on the next try, as Blair Kinghorn jumped up and sent Goosen across the line.
Edinburgh was downgraded to 13 men when backup prop WP Nel sinned for a lead fight at Callum Hunter-Hill, but they continued to score a bonus point to lose and coach Mike Blair insisted: “Losing extra points isn’t a bad thing here but we have a chance to win the game. I was really proud of today’s performance. A lot of things were good but we gave them momentum.
